Al Wong (born 1939) is an American artist and educator, known for his experimental film and mixed media installation art.[1][2] He is based in San Francisco, California.[3]
Al Wong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1939 (age 84–85) |
| Alma mater | Academy of Art University, San Francisco Art Institute |
| Occupation(s) | artist, fine art professor |
| Years active | 1968-Present |
| Known for | Experimental filmmaking, mixed media installation art |
| Website | https://alwongart.com/ |
Biography
editAl Wong was born in 1939 in San Francisco, California to father Willie Wong.[1][3] He attended San Francisco Academy of Art University from 1960 until 1962 and the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), from 1962 until 1968 and again in 1970 until 1971.[1] He received a Masters of Fine Arts degree in 1972 from SFAI.[4] He also studied with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the San Francisco Zen Center.[5]
He taught classes at San Francisco Art Institute from 1975 until 2003,[1] as well working as a lecturer at California State University, Sacramento from 1975 until 1977; and as an associate professor at Sonoma State University.[1]
Wong started making films around 1965, with his first film screening in 1967 at the Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada.[4] Wong's work was included in the, Other Sources: An American Essay (1976) multidisciplinary, multiethnic exhibition curated by Carlos Villa.[6] In addition to filmmaking and film installation art, Wong also has created works on paper, light installations and photo installations.
Wong was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in Film (1986),[7] and the Flintridge Foundation grant (1998).[8][2] In 2023, he also participated in the second Chinatown Contemporary Arts Festival in which he showed his film Paper Sisters.[9] He was inspired to make this film based on his experiences growing up under the Chinese Exclusion Act and named the film to allude to the "reduction of human beings to pieces of paper containing their immigration status."[9]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Type | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 69 Cents a Pound | 16mm film, black-and-white, sound | 12 minutes | [10] |
| 1970 | Tea for Two | 16mm film, black-and-white, sound | 5 minutes | In the collection of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.[11] |
| 1971 | Discount House | 16mm film, color, sound | 21 minutes | In the collection of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.[10] |
| 1974 | Moving Still | 16mm film, black-and-white, sound | 14 minutes | In the collection of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.[11] |
| 1975 | Working Class | 16mm film, black-and-white, sound | 14.5 minutes | In the collection of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.[11] |
| 1975 | Same Difference | 16mm film, color, sound | 17.5 minutes | The soundtrack is by Terry Fox.[3] Same Difference was filmed in a kitchen window over the span of a years time.[3] |
| 1976 | Corner | double 16mm film projection on wall corner, black-and-white, silent | 16 minutes | [3][4] |
| 1977 | 24 F.P.S. | 16mm film, color, sound | 14 minutes | [12][13] |
| 1977 | Twin Peaks | 16mm transferred to video, sound | 50 minutes | This film was featured in solo viewings at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) and Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).[3][14] |
| 1979 | Shadow and Chair | 16mm film installation, black-and-white, silent | 10.5 minutes | [3] |
| 1980 | Moon Stand | 16mm film installation, black-white, sound | 14 minutes | [3] |
| 1981 | Philip Whalen | 16mm film installation, black-and-white, sound | 8 minutes | [11] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Artist Results, Al Wong". San Francisco Arts Commission. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ a b The Visual Artists Awards: Flintridge Foundation, 1997/98. Flintridge Foundation. 1998. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-9664721-0-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Zimbardo, Tanya (May 3, 2013). "Sunlight and Shadows: Al Wong in Conversation". SFMOMA Open Space, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ a b c Walley, Jonathan (2020). Cinema Expanded: Avant-Garde Film in the Age of Intermedia. Oxford University Press. p. 381. ISBN 978-0-19-093863-5.
- ^ Chang, Gordon H. (2008). Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970. Stanford University Press. p. 424. ISBN 978-0-8047-5751-5.
- ^ Johnson, Mark (September 11, 2013). "1976 and Its Legacy: Other Sources: An American Essay at San Francisco Art Institute". Art Practical. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Fellows: Al Wong". John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ Bonetti, David (1998-08-17). "Grants for Bay artists, museums". SFGATE. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ a b "Buzzy Chinatown Contemporary Arts Fest Returns for 2nd Year to San Francisco". The San Francisco Standard. 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ a b "Canyon Cinema: New Acquisition: Three Exhibition Files from Al Wong". Canyon Cinema. August 19, 2022. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "Canyon Cinema : New Artist Member: Al Wong". Canyon Cinema. February 11, 2022. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "24 f.p.s." CineFiles, Berkeley Art Museum and Film Archive (BAMFA), University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ "Al Wong". Alternative Projections. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ "Al Wong: Twin Peaks at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco". SF Station. May 7, 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-29.